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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24136642">Bailey School Kids</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/verboseDescription/pseuds/verboseDescription'>verboseDescription</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To The Moon and Back [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cancer, EDS Gerry, Friendship, Gerry lives AU, Humor, POTS Gerry, Recovery, i just think gerry deserves to have a cool punk jewish roommate who has no idea who he is</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:35:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>17,750</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24136642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/verboseDescription/pseuds/verboseDescription</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>If it hadn’t been for the fact they had the same oncologist, Kira would think their new roommate was a vampire.<br/>And okay, sure, maybe being a cancer survivor didn’t automatically mean you couldn’t be a vampire too, but why wait until your tumor was gone to become immortal? Personally, Kira thought Gerry seemed like the kind of person who would be more concerned with keeping his long hair than being cancer-free.<br/>Basil thinks he's just mafia.<br/>Or: you either die a cursed book, or you live long enough to become someone's weird cryptid roommate</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To The Moon and Back [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715521</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>170</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>494</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>GerryTitan verse</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Dracula Doesn't Drink Pink Lemonade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>chapter &amp; series title taken from the kids book series "Adventures of the Bailey School Kids."</p><p>this chapter also contains brief mentions of past medical trauma &amp; entity-related trauma</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If it hadn’t been for the fact they had the same oncologist, Kira would think their new roommate was a vampire. He definitely had the stare of one. And it <em> would </em>explain the grey eyes. </p><p>And okay, sure, maybe being a cancer survivor didn’t automatically mean you couldn’t be a vampire too, but why wait until your tumor was gone to become immortal? Personally, Kira thought Gerry seemed like the kind of person who would be more concerned with keeping his long hair than being cancer-free.</p><p>Basil thinks he's mafia. Kira doesn't really know enough about British mafias to prove xir wrong. </p><p>It’d definitely explain the money, at least.</p><p>Anyways, Kira had met Gerry under fairly normal circumstances, if you considered crying your eyes out at a doctor’s office a normal circumstance. It had been one of the only appointments Kira had gone to alone, and they had taken that as an opportunity to freak out about how much their suffering had cost them. And then Gerry had walked up to them and said, voice soft and careful, if they needed an extra roommate, he definitely needed a room.</p><p>“I wasn’t planning on staying in America,” Gerry explained, shoving his hands into his pockets. “It was… a bit of a business trip, you know? But I think it’d be easier to recover with a proper flat.”</p><p>Kira had just stared, too depressed to process anything he was saying.</p><p>“We don’t have to split the rent,” Gerry added. “I can pay for all of it. Money’s not a problem for me.”</p><p>“All of it?” Kira repeated, because yes, Gerry was a strange and mysterious goth towering over them, but he had the same tired eyes as they did, and living rent-free was living rent-free.</p><p>“All of it,” Gerry said.</p><p>So they shook on it, and he told Kira to call him Gerry. No last name. Just… Gerry. Gerry the strange, quiet goth without a sleep schedule now living in Kira’s apartment.</p><p>The point is, Gerry’s kind of weird. And they’re not even talking about the piercings, or the spiked bracelets, or even the uncomfortable amount of eye contact he sometimes makes—if that was weird, then so were they. There was just something going on with him. Kira could tell that much, even if they’re not sure what that something was.</p><p>They’re sure he would make a lot more sense in context, but that’s context they don’t have. All Kira knows is that Gerry keeps coming in and out of their apartment at odd hours of the day, and some of that <em> has </em> to be doctor’s appointments and physical therapy because Kira’s pretty sure that he had like, <em> just </em>had surgery, but he’s definitely still leaving more than he should. They get the sense that maybe his tumor had festered long enough that Gerry was a little surprised he had lived through it, but all that apparently hadn’t taught him any lessons in taking care of himself.</p><p>He stays up way too late listening to music, too. Kira’s tumor is technically more in their ear than their brain, and even with one working ear, they’ve always liked loud music. It’s not really a problem as long as he turns the volume down when Basil asks, which he does.</p><p>But no one who listens to Mastodon that loudly is having a good time that late at night, and Kira has no idea what to do about that. What do you do if your roommate’s obviously depressed, but you’ve only had like, two real conversations? Kira knew plenty about depression—honestly, they’re pretty sure they’re depressed, too—but that doesn’t mean they know the right way to approach a complete stranger about it, which was why Kira had just gotten him some chocolate instead of trying to talk about it. They’re starting to think maybe they should pester him to buy a snake or something, too, since the only time Kira’s seen him awake during the day, it’s been to stare at Kira’s.</p><p>Kira loves Sweet Clementine, and loves taking her out of her cage and singing to her, dancing around the apartment as they do, but Gerry’s not really about that. He’s never even asked to hold her. He just pulls up a chair and watches the snake go about her day. Kira’s glad Sweet Clementine is a comfort, even if they don’t really get what his deal is. Like, if he’s lonely, he can just hang out with them, you know? Or Basil, though xe’s admittedly busier than Kira, what with having a real job and all.</p><p>Kira asked, once, if Gerry wanted to feed Sweet Clementine, and he’d just stared at Kira, wide-eyed, before quickly retreating back into his room, very audibly slamming his shoulder on the doorframe on the way there.</p><p>But he keeps buying Kira and Basil takeout so like, as a roommate, Kira’s definitely had worse.</p><p> </p><p>It’s Basil that first asks Gerry to go shopping with them. Kira knows that xe’s mainly asking to see if Gerry will buy their groceries—which he does—but they’ve both also noticed that Gerry’s idea of groceries is more or less, like, a few cups of ramen in case he doesn’t want to deal with ordering out, sandwich stuff, and some snack food, mostly just different flavors of chips. Kira gets that he’s tired all the time and his sense of balance is terrible, but if Kira doesn’t see Gerry cook himself an actual meal soon, they’re going to force him to binge at least like, three different cooking shows just to make sure he knows <em>something. </em> Kira cannot stand the fact that they might be the best cook out of their roommates. Basil’s smart as hell and knows how to make a lot of great food, but xe is also, unfortunately, constantly burning toast.</p><p>“You’re not working, are you?” Kira asks, even though they’re sure the answer is ‘no.’ “So you’ve probably got a lot of time to cook for yourself now, right?”</p><p>“Won’t taste as good as takeaway, though,” Gerry tells them.</p><p>“Yeah, but you can’t, like, order takeout <em>every day,”  </em>Kira says. “It’s expensive! And probably not healthy for you. Also, what if you get stuck inside for a few days and can’t order anything?”</p><p>“I’ve got pasta,” Gerry says. “And some frozen meals.”</p><p>“Please prove to me that you can cook at least one meal,” Kira begs. “Because I don’t think I can live with you if you don’t.”</p><p>For a second, Kira’s wondering if they’ve said too much, and that’s it, they’ve annoyed the nice goth out of living with them, but Gerry just laughs and grabs some frozen chicken.</p><p>It takes him a little while to actually get around to cooking it, but when he does, he lets both Kira and Basil try some. He makes some pretty good burritos, even if they are a bit bland.</p><p> </p><p>Basil’s new theory is that Gerry’s related to, like, the Queen. Xe’s aware that they’re being super stereotypical, <em> gosh Kira, </em>but point is, clearly, Gerry’s got more money than he knows what to do with and no job, or any proof that he’s ever had a job, so maybe he’s just, like, the child of a duke or something.</p><p>Kira hates that that kind of makes sense, except if Gerry was <em>that </em>rich, he wouldn’t have to be living with them and Basil. His standards would be too high. Maybe he just won the lotto or something. Did they have the lotto in England? Whatever. Not important. Kira just thinks Gerry has too much empathy about their whole money situation to have been born rich, but Basil thinks that maybe he got cut off from the family fund for a while or something. Like, not to speculate about his personal life or anything, but he was obviously gay. A lot of parents, Basil’s included, had a problem with stuff like that.</p><p>Kira thinks they might be getting a little too obsessed with this. Also, Gerry’s nonbinary. Of course he was <em>obviously gay. </em></p><p>“You know what?” Kira says. “Maybe we should just talk to him instead of writing out his whole tragic backstory.”</p><p> </p><p>But that turns out to be a bigger problem than expected. Kira can’t tell if Gerry’s an open book that doesn’t realize how vague he is, or if he just doesn’t want to talk about himself. Kira would totally back off if he didn’t want to answer, but the thing is, he <em>does, </em> and he doesn’t <em>seem </em>mad, so that’s got to count for something, right?</p><p>Except he is <em>soooo vague. </em></p><p>Kira asks him what he did for a living, and Gerry says, “find people, mostly,” and doesn’t elaborate. Basil takes this as a point for xir mafia theory, but also Gerry admits to inheriting most of his money, which means Basil’s British heir theory has some weight, too. And after a lot of questions without answers, Gerry mentions working with books, maybe at a used bookstore. It was hard to tell exactly what it sold, from how he described it. Kira takes this as evidence for their vampire theory, because they’re not sure what else to do with that fact. </p><p>Kira’s girlfriend Mae says that they’re both getting too obsessed, but Kira doesn’t think that’s their fault. Kira’s been taking less shifts than usual thanks to their tumor, which means they’ve been getting a lot of time to observe Gerry at home. A part of them feels like they <em>have </em>to watch him, though they have no idea why. The only thing to really notice is that he still hasn’t stopped staring at Sweet Clementine. Eventually, Kira gets tired of watching him watch their snake, and lifts her out of her cage. </p><p>“Want to hold her?” Kira asks. Gerry’s eyes go wide and for a second, Kira thinks he’s going to run back to his room.</p><p>“I don’t want to hurt her,” he says, hands shaking. Gerry’s hands always shake, but this, Kira knows, is a different kind of tremor.</p><p>“You won’t,” Kira promises. They bring Sweet Clementine closer to Gerry’s arms. “She knows how she wants to be held. You just have to make sure you’re ready.”</p><p>Gerry’s lip quivers. He throws off his jacket and holds out an arm.</p><p>“I’m ready,” he says. He doesn’t sound sure, but that’s okay. Kira’s not going to let him drop her.</p><p>Kira touches Gerry’s arm and lets Sweet Clementine climb from them to Gerry. He smiles at the snake as she curls around his arm.</p><p>“Getting comfortable, miss?” he asks her. Kira lets out a quiet giggle. </p><p>“You can hold her anytime, you know,” Kira says. “You’re not going to bother her. She’s a corn snake. They’re a pretty chill breed.”</p><p>“I wasn’t sure she’d want me,” Gerry says, but it’s quiet enough that Kira wonders if they should pretend they didn’t hear.</p><p>He looks peaceful, holding Sweet Clementine. Vulnerable, maybe, but that might just be because Kira hadn’t realized how burnt his skin was. The burns themself don’t look too bad, honestly. Kira might not have noticed if they weren’t watching a snake crawl up his arm. But that didn’t change the fact that there were just <em>so many </em>of them. What kind of life did Gerry lead, for it to have given him so many scars? And after all that, how could he still look at Sweet Clementine like she was the only thing in the world?</p><p>Kira’s getting the sense that being with Sweet Clementine is making Gerry feel a bit better. He’s starting to actually stay awake longer during the day, at least. Kira’s starting to see him when they come home, walking around with Sweet Clementine wrapped around him, though he always looks guilty when he realizes that Kira’s noticed. Kira doesn’t know what to do with that, so every time he spots them, Kira points a finger Gerry’s direction and demands he serenade her. He always does. Kira wonders how many times they need to make him sing “Sweet Caroline” before he accidentally says Clementine instead. Still, it’s nice.</p><p> </p><p>Aside from the time they spend staring at Gerry, Kira has a fairly normal life. They go to work. They’ve got too many bills piling up not to.</p><p>They smile a lot at people they hate. Then ask people to repeat themselves far too much. They do some exercises that their doctor promised would help their balance, but don’t do enough to convince themself that it might change anything. Then Kira goes to temple, and prays. They pray for Gerry, too, but they don’t know his family name, so it doesn’t feel like a proper prayer. Kira’s not sure it matters. He’s probably not Jewish, anyways, but he deserved someone to have someone looking out for him.</p><p>And then Kira goes home and hangs out with Basil, who’s still trying to decide what Gerry’s deal is. Kira’s ear rings as they listen to Basil go on about what weird thing Gerry’s done today.</p><p>“I think he’s looking for someone,” Basil says. “Said something about clowns.”</p><p>“Clowns?” Kira repeats. <em> “Gerry?” </em></p><p>“He said they’re dangerous,” Basil confirms.</p><p><em> “Clowns?” </em>Kira says again.</p><p>“He’s worried about a circus,” Basil says. Xe’s fully aware of how ridiculous this sounds. “Says we shouldn’t go to any for the next year or so.”</p><p>“I wasn’t planning on it!” Kira says, wondering how the hell Gerry managed to piss off, apparently, every single clown. </p><p> </p><p>And then Gerry starts getting really weird. </p><p>Kira’s starting to think that maybe clowns <em>are </em>really dangerous or something, because he’ll be gone for, like, a full <em>week </em>before they see him again, and when they do, he’ll be wandering around the apartment with this haunted look in his eyes. And then Basil wakes Kira up at, like, 5 AM to get rid of some beer Gerry bought. They don’t need to ask why. Bars are pretty much the only thing Pittsburgh has going for it, and they both know what kind of trouble that brings.</p><p>“I don’t think he’s drinking them,” Basil says, voice softer than a whisper. “But he just… he keeps <em>staring. </em>It’s making me nervous.”</p><p>That was Gerry, alright. No action, all observation. Just a pair of sad eyes, waiting to be told what to do.</p><p>Which is why they’re going to tell him what to do. Just this once.</p><p>Mae’s coming by for a movie marathon, and Kira insists that Gerry has to join them, because Basil’s going to watch too, so it’d be weird if Gerry spent the whole time in his room.</p><p>“Also, you have to meet my girlfriend, because she’s the coolest person I know and I genuinely feel bad for everyone who hasn’t met her,” Kira adds. </p><p>“Well,” Gerry says. “I guess I have to meet your girlfriend.”</p><p> </p><p>They watch <em> Buffy the Vampire Slayer</em>, because that’s been on Kira’s mind for some reason. Gerry thinks it’s hilarious. He also thinks it’s terrible.</p><p>He thinks it's funny how all vampires are evil except, like, the one guy who’s also Buffy’s love interest.</p><p>“All men are evil,” Mae says wisely. “Except the hot ones.”</p><p>“It’s a good show,” Kira defends, mainly because they had loved it as a kid. “An okay show. A show with good moments.”</p><p>Mae smiles at Kira and very lovingly places a hand on their shoulder.</p><p>“You just like that there’s lesbians,” Mae says.</p><p>“You know me,” Kira admits, sighing.</p><p>“There’s better shows out there with lesbians,” Gerry says, amused.</p><p>“Ah, but if we were watching a good show, I’d be too distracted to paint your nails,” Mae says. Gerry blinks.</p><p>“My nails?” he repeats.</p><p>“I want to try nail art,” Mae says. “Let me paint skulls on your nails. Or eyes, I guess, if that’s your thing.”</p><p>Gerry considers this.</p><p>“Do both,” he says, thrusting out his hand. There’s nail polish already on it, but it’s so chipped, it’s barely noticeable.</p><p>“I definitely get what you’re saying about the vampires, though,” Kira says as Mae uncaps her nail polish. “They’re all just kind of a bunch of jerks.”</p><p>“True to life,” Gerry says, far too seriously.</p><p>“Have you met a vampire?” Kira asks. “Like, for real? Because you seem pretty sure of that. Did <em>you </em>date a vampire? Was he a bad boyfriend?”</p><p>“I have too much sense to date a vampire,” Gerry scoffs. Kira and Basil look at each other, delighted.</p><p>“I would date a vampire,” Basil says.</p><p>“You would not,” Gerry tells xir.</p><p>“I would,” Basil insists. “They want my blood. I want their body. It’s perfect.”</p><p>Gerry’s look of disgust is priceless.</p><p>“Go be gay for vampires in from a better show,” Mae tells xir.</p><p>“I’m going to date the entire cast of <em> True Blood,” </em>Basil declares. Mae stops painting Gerry’s nails to shoot xir a dirty look.</p><p>“Don’t say things you can’t take back,” Mae warns. Then, to Gerry, “Once this dries, I’ll paint eyes on your middle fingers.”</p><p>“You understand me,” Gerry tells her. </p><p>“I understand goth,” Mae says.</p><p>They only end up finishing a couple episodes, because Gerry keeps distracting them. It turns out that he has a lot of opinions and not just about vampires. He also has a lot of opinions on demons, voodoo as a concept (misunderstood) and as a plot device (no one who used it as one actually knew what it was), prophecies, man-eating creatures, and librarians with too much knowledge about the supernatural.</p><p>Kira and Basil are overjoyed to hear all of his thoughts. Kira considers the possibility that maybe Gerry’s just weird because he’s an author or something. As a musician, Kira could confirm that sometimes artists were just like that.</p><p>“What would you change if you were writing this?” Kira asks, as Mae starts carefully painting a skull on Gerry’s pinkie.</p><p>“No monster/human romance,” Gerry says. It’s so immediate. He really hates vampires. “I mean, this one’s especially bad, but you can’t date something that wants to eat you.”</p><p>“I mean, they’re still people,” Basil says. “It’s not like they have no choice. Well, it depends on the show, I guess, but people become vegetarians all the time. Why can’t vampires?”</p><p>“No, no,” Mae insists. “He’s right. It’s a clear power imbalance.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t be able to date a vampire,” Kira says. “They wouldn’t be able to step foot into a synagogue. I don’t know how I’d cope.”</p><p>“Do Jewish vampires burn when they visit a temple?”</p><p>“Oh, no, we just turn them away. You’re not supposed to have dead bodies inside.”</p><p> </p><p>So. Here’s how Buffy would go, if Gerry wrote it:</p><p>If a vampire’s unique because he has a soul, you have to make a bigger deal about it. Like, if all vampires are evil because they don’t have souls, <em> fine. </em> But being evil is more than just being kind of a jerk who needs blood to survive. Also, why does being a vampire change your personality? Evil people can still care about books. Bloodlust doesn’t mean that Spike suddenly can’t <em>read. </em> Let him write a poem about killing people. At least that would be a nice change from all Angel’s emo shit. And, oh yeah, if no vampires can feel, and Angel suddenly does; he shouldn’t like it. Extending your life like that is painful, and a little bit of guilt isn’t going to cut it. Angel should know he’s a walking corpse. Should feel it with every breath he doesn’t need to take. You want to make him a tortured soul? Make him a <em> tortured soul. </em></p><p>And <em> Buffy! </em> What kind of secret organization expects an untrained teenager to fight for them? At least have someone scoping her out and making sure she takes karate classes before the whole Slayer thing takes effect. Yeah, sure, she was a cheerleader, so she was getting exercise, but did she even know how to throw a <em> punch? </em> If their organization isn’t smart enough to figure that out, then frankly, they don’t have any right to act like they could save the world. They were supposed to be able to track potential Slayers, weren’t they? So why couldn’t they actually <em>do </em>something about it, instead of just walking up to a teenager and going “Surprise! You’ve got a destiny you never asked for! Now it’s time for this group of adults to force you to risk your life for them!” and that’s not even going into all the terrible shit the writers put in, like, the fact that an <em>immortal vampire </em>was interested in a teenager and—you know what? Gerry’s getting way too heated about this, he thinks he’s going to go lay down.</p><p>Kira vows to find Gerry a good vampire show as an apology. On the bright side, though, his nails look great.</p><p>
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</p><p><b>Mae: </b>hello darling i have an unfortunate discovery to burden you with</p><p><b>Kira: </b>???</p><p><b>Mae: </b>i have heard two different stories about a tall goth fending off an unknowable terror in the middle of the night and am just realizing that they may have been your roommate</p><p><b>Kira: </b>okay screenshotted that sentence to send to basil &amp; xes calling gerry our local goth cryptid and is begging to know more</p><p><b>Kira:</b> continue</p><p><b>Mae: </b>ok so you remember my cool coworker</p><p><b>Kira: </b>yeah yeah the gay one</p><p><b>Mae: </b> yeah her<br/><b>Mae: </b>she bought a book from a used bookstore and said it gave her messed up dreams and made her feel like bugs were talking to her. anyways long story short, tall goth burned the book for her, told her that she needed to spend more time with her friends and suddenly she was like, cured.</p><p><b>Mae: </b>oh also i think she smelled rot everywhere? or the book was rotting in her hands? something weird like that</p><p><b>Kira: </b>and let me guess she told you because she saw he was goth and assumed youd know him?</p><p><b>Mae: </b>well. was she wrong. </p><p><b>Mae: </b>anyways she mostly just told me because she wanted to thank him. she said she felt really helpless before he found her and thought i could help her find him again</p><p><b>Kira: </b>well i’ll pass the message along. to him and basil</p><p><b>Kira: </b>gerry says she can thank him by stocking up on bug spray</p><p><b>Mae: </b>ffghjkl;</p><p><b>Mae: </b>and basil?</p><p>
  <b>Kira: </b>
</p><p>[screenshot of a conversation that reads:</p><p><b>Basil: </b>bugs???? why were BUGS talking to someone? HOW were they talking to someone? were they ghost bugs??? was she being haunted??</p><p><b>Basil: </b>wait no thats not even the weirdest part of what happened to her that she just saw gerry burn a book and went “oh, okay, everything’s good now! nightmare over!!”</p><p><b>Kira: </b>its the inherent comfort in knowing someone with pretty eyeliner is looking out for you]</p><p><b>Mae: </b>yeah, sounds about right</p><p>
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</p><p>Hanukkah's coming up. </p><p>Or, December is, at least. Kira thinks it’s a pity Gerry wasn’t healthy enough to actually do anything on Halloween, because if this is what he looked like on a normal day, Kira really wanted to see him go all out. At least there was always Purim.</p><p>For now, though, Kira’s buying potatoes. They weren’t great at making latkes but the point of the holiday wasn’t to be good at things. It was to do the best with what you had. And what Kira had was a lot of spirit, some oil, and <em>so many </em>potatoes.</p><p>“Hanukkah’s about celebrating that we had enough stuff left over after we won a war with people trying to kill us,” Basil explains to Gerry. He had admitted to knowing near nothing about the holiday, which just means that Kira and Basil have the opportunity to explain it to him. He also seemed kind of excited at the prospect of them going a week with a constant source of fire in their house.</p><p>“Except, like, we had that stuff because G-d provided it for us. Which was real cool of them. So now we eat donuts. Gerry, buy us donuts.”</p><p>“Sure,” Gerry says. “What kind?”</p><p>“It’s not just that,” Kira interrupts. “Also, they have to be jelly. That’s the rule. But, uh. The story of Hanukkah’s that we started fighting to make sure we could still practice our religion, you know? We spent a lot of time hiding and praying in secret, and then we fought a war. And won! But we used up all of our oil, and we <em>needed </em>that. Because you have to keep the lights in the temples lit. And if you can’t even do that after all you fought, then what’s it for? But G-d knows we were fighting. So the oil lasts.”</p><p>Gerry stares at Kira. They look away, feeling surprisingly awkward. A trip to the supermarket was probably not the best time to start going on about how much they love being Jewish.</p><p>“And that,” Basil adds, sweeping xir arms out in a dramatic gesture. “Is the miracle of Hanukkah.”</p><p>“And here I thought it was an excuse to get presents,” Gerry says. He’s joking, but Kira can see the curiosity in his eyes. Maybe he’s not asking any questions, but Kira can see he’s interested.</p><p>“Depends on the person, really,” Kira says. “It’s not even a major holiday, and Purim’s more for gift-giving, anyways—oh, you’d like that one, there’s a lot of shouting. And, you know, espionage.”</p><p>“Personally,” Basil says. “I think if Christians get gifts this time of the year, then we, the very obviously cooler religion, deserve some too.”</p><p>“Sound logic,” Gerry agrees.</p><p>“Well, in that case, I want a new guitar,” Kira says.</p><p> </p><p>Gerry falls over while they’re cooking.</p><p>Like, full out, smashes his body into the ground, and knocks a chair across the room.</p><p>“Dude,” Kira says, helping him up. “Did your legs give out or something?”</p><p>“Not my <em>legs,” </em>Gerry groans. Kira can feel his heartbeat through where they grabbed his wrist. It’s beating way too fast. Gerry pushes Kira away and tries to adjust himself on the ground. “It’s just… the heat’s been bothering me lately, I don’t know why. Stood too long, maybe.”</p><p>“Is your wrist okay?” Basil asks, turning off the stove. “It looks a little… dislocated.”</p><p>“It is,” Gerry confirms. “Wouldn’t be the first time. I can fix that. It’s fine.”</p><p>Kira winces.</p><p>“Hey, Gerry?” Kira says. “I think it kind of sounds like you need to go to a doctor.”</p><p>“I don’t,” Gerry says. Kira had been expecting some pushback, but not the fear in his eyes. “I’m fine.”</p><p>“Okay,” Kira says. “But it kind of sounds like your body isn’t.”</p><p>“It’s always been like this,” Gerry insists. He sounds out of breath. “The falling’s new, but I know how to deal with dislocations. And it’s only been two months since my surgery, and I was… I was pretty far gone. I’m just. Still recovering. That’s all.”</p><p>Until now, Kira hadn’t realized how slow Gerry moved. Before, they would say he seemed intimidating. The slowness had never seemed like it came from exhaustion or poor health and instead, made him seem like a shark circling the water—or at the very least, a roaming zombie. Now, watching him gasp for breath as he carefully climbs into a chair, all Kira can see is an injured fawn limping towards comfort.</p><p>“Have you passed out before?” Kira asks slowly.</p><p>“I didn’t <em>pass out,” </em>Gerry insists. “Just got a bit dizzy. It happens.”</p><p>“Are you still going to physical therapy?” Basil asks. Xe hands Gerry a glass of water. “Cuz this sounds like something you should tell them.”</p><p>“They…,” Gerry pauses to drain the glass. “Thought it might be POTS. But it’s fine. I’m drinking water. Eating salt. I don’t need any more doctors.”</p><p>He definitely was not drinking enough water. But he was eating a lot of pickles. Kira had assumed he was just on spiro or something, because that was why Mae ate pickles, and it was the only reason Kira could think of that would make someone want to drink pickle juice, which they had seen Gerry do several times. </p><p>“Oh man,” Basil says. “You sure you’re drinking enough water for that?”</p><p>“I am,” Gerry insists.</p><p>“What’s POTS?” Kira asks.</p><p>“It’s kind of just like, your nervous system getting messed up?” Basil says. “Some people just develop it because bodies like to give you fun surprises, but since it has to do with blood flow to the brain, it can kind of just happen if you get a serious injury, or a major surgery. Basically what happens is it gets super hard to do too much exercise, or to stand up suddenly, or keep standing. You know, anything that deals with blood flow.”</p><p>“Oh,” Kira says. “I’ve never heard of it.”</p><p>“Not a lot of people have,” Basil says. “I just know because I’m cool, and having arthritis means I hear about a lot of other chronic illnesses. Kira, you probably don’t have to worry about it. You’d have to be kind of unlucky to get it, even if you did get surgery.”</p><p>Kira and Basil both slowly turn back to Gerry. He doesn’t look happy.</p><p>“You should probably go to a doctor,” Basil tells him.</p><p>“I should do a lot of things,” Gerry says.</p><p>“Yeah,” Basil agrees. “But you <em> really </em>should go see a doctor.”</p><p>“You know, we could come with you,” Kira adds. “You don’t have to go alone just because you’re an adult.”</p><p>“You’d come with me?” Gerry says, and Kira can tell from his frown that what he’s really asking is <em>why? </em></p><p>“Sure,” Kira says. “We’re roommates. That means we’re best friends. And I show up when my friends need support.”</p><p>“And everyone needs someone to yell at a doctor for them, just in case they don’t believe you,” Basil adds. “It’s an important part of any doctor’s visit.”</p><p>“I can definitely yell at a doctor for you,” Kira agrees.</p><p>“Oh,” Gerry says. “Thanks.”</p><p>“I know you probably don’t have a lot of friends in America,” Kira adds. “But you’ll always have us. So if you need, like, anything…”</p><p>Gerry gives them a sad smile.</p><p>“Not just in America,” he says. “Thanks, though. I appreciate it.”</p><p>Kira nods, and tries not to think too hard about what he’s saying. Was that why he had stayed in America? Because the location of his recovery wouldn’t matter since there was no one at home who’d help him along with it? Kira’s parents didn’t live in Pittsburgh, and they knew that every day, it was something their parents felt guilty about. That their child was too far away for them to help. But they did help. Kira called them every weekend, no matter what, and every conversation they had made them feel loved. Kira doesn’t think they've ever seen Gerry call anyone. </p><p>Or, no, that wasn’t true. </p><p>There had been someone, in the beginning. But whoever they were, they had never answered. Gerry had never seemed surprised by that, just… resigned.</p><p>“You’ll look into it, then?” Basil asks.</p><p>“I’ll think about it,” Gerry says. It’s good enough for now. “Can you get my wrist brace?”</p><p>“Oh, shit, yeah of course,” Kira says, and they’re already scrambling to Gerry’s room. They find Gerry’s wrist splint hiding behind his pillows, of all places and watch with morbid fascination as he sets his wrist back into place. Then Kira goes back to making latkes, because Gerry insists he’s fine, and he doesn’t want to ruin their plans just because he had a little spill.</p><p>When they’re done, Gerry asks if he can eat his with ketchup, and it takes all of Kira’s energy not to go into a rant, right there. It’s not his fault he doesn’t understand. Kira’s just kind of an applesauce purist, which is why they shoot Basil a death glare when xe takes out the sour cream.</p><p> </p><p>A few days later, Gerry calls his doctor and sets up an appointment. In the meantime, though, it’s still Hanukkah, so Kira makes Gerry light the candles.</p><p>“Really?” Gerry asks.</p><p>“You’ve been watching us do this,” Kira tells him. “Let’s see how much you’ve picked up.”</p><p>“Also you keep making jokes about setting things on fire, so we want to give you a healthier outlet,” Basil adds. Gerry laughs at that.</p><p>“How do you know I’m joking?” Gerry asks.</p><p>“Wishful thinking,” Kira says. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. You just seemed interested. I thought you could give it a shot.”</p><p>Gerry tilts his head.</p><p>“I guess I am,” he admits. “My mum was kind of Christian, but she was more into… well, she was more occult. Liked thinking of herself as the village witch. I learned a lot about monsters, but not so much about anything out there that’d actually want to <em>help. </em>And you both look really happy, when you do this. Not really something I associate with rituals. So I guess the whole thing’s kind of new to me.”</p><p>“Well, if you want to learn more, you can always ask,” Basil says. “Personally, I’ve always really liked Hanukkah, even if it’s not a really big deal. When I was a kid, my parents always sent me to bed before the candles burnt down, so I never actually knew how long the flames lasted. It was fun to pretend they could have been burning all night.”</p><p>“Sounds nice,” Gerry says.</p><p>“But it’s not something you’ve felt, is it?” Basil asks. Gerry shakes his head.</p><p>“The last time that I thought something was going to burn forever, I ended up in A&amp;E,” Gerry says, gesturing to some of his burn scars. Basil winces, but Kira can’t stop themself from laughing. Gerry grins.</p><p>“So you’re not too big on being ‘kind of Christian,’ I’m guessing,” Kira says.</p><p>“Not the kind Mum was, for sure,” Gerry tells them. He considers it, for a moment, then glances down at the eye tattoos on his hands. “I think I’m an Atheist.”</p><p>“Well, hey,” Kira says, fully aware he was making some joke they didn’t understand. “That’s fine, too. Everyone needs a shabbos goy.”</p><p> </p><p>Before Kira knows it, the holidays are over, and they're back on track for the mafia theory, because Basil saw Gerry getting lunch with the scariest woman alive and an older man. Both English, too, and the woman even had a scar over one eye. Basil hadn’t heard what Gerry had said, but the woman had given him a thick pile of cash as a result and smiled. Then they noticed Basil, who was heading back to work after getting xirself a coffee and had just wanted to say hi to Gerry. The way the woman stared made Basil’s blood run cold. Like the only reason she hadn’t started hunting xir for sport was because she wasn’t sure xe’d be worth the effort. Then Gerry turned, too, and smiled. Like he knew this too, and would make sure that wouldn’t happen. Then he turned back to the woman.</p><p>“That’s no one,” Gerry said, voice cold. “A roommate. None of your concern.”</p><p>“Bit softer than some of your regular crowd,” the old man commented.</p><p>“And unaware,” Gerry agreed. “Unmarked. No one you’d be interested in.”</p><p>The woman laughed at that.</p><p>“Suppose not,” she agreed. “We’ll keep in touch.”</p><p>And then they left.</p><p>“You don’t want to know them,” Gerry said, before Basil could ask.</p><p>“Yeah, probably,” Basil agreed. Xe had no idea what else to say. “I… are you doing okay?”</p><p>Gerry blinked.</p><p>“Of course,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”</p><p>So, Basil says. Gerry was definitely raised by the mob. That was the only explanation why he was so chill about whatever the hell that was.</p><p>“I think he’s in some really deep shit, Kira,” Basil tells them. Xe looks genuinely terrified. “Maybe it’s not the <em>mob, </em> but… Those weren’t good people. They were <em> dangerous. </em>And they trusted Gerry. That’s… not a good sign.”</p><p>“He’s not bad,” Kira insists. “Not our Gerry.”</p><p>“When did he become <em> our Gerry?” </em> Basil asks with a laugh. “Yeah, he’s our friend, but that doesn’t mean we <em> know </em>him.”</p><p>Kira knew enough, though. Knew that he was tired and sad and trying his best to survive, just like them. Knew that he loved snakes and metal and had very specific tastes in literature. What else was there to know? The past? Kira rarely asked their friends about their lives, before Kira was in it. They didn’t like thinking about their own past, so what gave them the right pry into anyone else’s? All they needed was the context for who their friends were now. Whatever else happened wasn’t their business. Kira had met Basil in high school, and they had been xir only friend. They weren’t interested in finding out what things were like for Basil, before Kira had taken it upon themself to scare off xir bullies and let xir stay over when xe fought with xir parents. It wasn’t like they couldn’t guess. You could learn a lot about someone from how they came into your life, and from asking the right questions. “Are you dangerous?” is not the right question to ask Gerry. “Are you in a gang?” is even worse. The right questions were, “Are you safe? Is everyone you talk to so full of sharp edges? Is it lonely, living like that? Is that why you came here? Was it really a coincidence we met? Do you want my company, or do you just need to hold my snake?”</p><p>Because the thing about Gerry is, he’s the only one who <em>gets it.  </em></p><p>Kira doesn’t know a lot of people with cancer. Doesn’t know a lot of people who have survived a brain tumor, of all things. And they know they’re lucky. Acoustic neuromatic tumors are rarely deadly, and they grow slow. But that just means Kira has to keep <em>waiting. </em> The tumor’s too small for surgery, but it’s big enough for chemo. And chemo doesn’t just make Kira feel tired. It makes them feel small. Even if their tumor isn’t growing that fast, Kira can feel it’s still hungry. It’s eating up all their money and free time and the pressure of it all makes Kira feel like they’re about to choke.</p><p>They know, logically, that they’ll probably be fine, but sometimes they have dreams where their tumor keeps growing until it squeezes against Kira’s skin. They close their eyes, and they can feel it grow down from their skull, turning their body into a garden of tumors and pain, taking up space that should have been for Kira<em> , </em>and stretching them out until the only thing they can do is retreat into a corner of a skin that used to belong to them.</p><p>The fact that it’s all in their head doesn’t make them feel much better. Like, obviously it’s in their head. Most of Kira’s problems were. That doesn’t mean they didn’t hurt.</p><p>Kira asks Gerry about the people Basil saw him with, because they promised Basil they would, but they don’t bring up the money exchanged.</p><p>“They were looking for something. Needed help finding it,” Gerry says. Then, “Don’t find them. They’re nothing but trouble.”</p><p>“But it’s fine for you?” Kira asks. Gerry smiles.</p><p>“I’m nothing but trouble, too,” he says.</p><p> </p><p>The year ends without much recognition. </p><p>Basil’s invited to a party, but blows it off to have a movie marathon with Mae, Kira, and Gerry. Originally, the plan was that they were all supposed to be movies from the past year, but Gerry says he hasn’t watched any movies <em>all year </em>so he just picks a comedy from a couple years back. Kira had not expected Gerry to enjoy comedies, but judging from the way he zoned out during Mae’s pick, Kira thinks he just might find them a bit more unpredictable than horror.</p><p>Also, Basil resolves to start learning Ladino. Mae’s New Year’s resolution is just to get more hijab pins, which is the kind of resolution Mae always makes. She says she refuses to let the way the world turns decide how she spends her time, so she doesn’t make resolutions as much as she does make a to-do list.</p><p>Gerry seems to like that approach. He says his hair is finally long enough to dye, so first chance he gets, he’s dying it black.</p><p>Personally, Kira thinks they’ve suffered too much to make any kind of resolution, so they don’t even bother, but Kira really commends Gerry on his dedication to his aesthetic. Even though Kira would describe themself as a punk, chemo had made it hard for them to work up the energy to DIY any of their clothes lately, or to fix their undercut. The last patch they sewed onto anything was a beanie they bought for Gerry, and that had only been because he had told them he refused to be in any picture until his hair was mullet-length, <em> at least. </em>Kira understood the feeling, and hoped the hairclips they had attached helped. </p><p>Point is, punk definitely isn’t dead, but they do have cancer, so punk’s tired as hell, and that’s not great for creativity. Gerry though, will wear eyeliner no matter how badly he fucks it up. Same with lipstick. Basil says it makes him look really hot, which Kira will <em>not </em>comment on, but they do appreciate that kind of commitment. Even if he does also definitely sleep in his make-up sometimes, which can’t be good for his skin.</p><p>Gerry says the hair dye isn’t really about aesthetics, though. He says if his hair isn’t black, he doesn’t look like himself. Or, no, that’d be too normal for Gerry. Kira would get it if he’d just said it made him feel like himself. Hair dye was great for their own dysphoria. But what he says is that his hair isn’t <em>his, </em>if it’s not black.</p><p>“You didn’t have to wait, you know,” Kira tells him, as they watch him dye his hair in the bathroom sink. “You could have bought a wig while your hair was growing back.”</p><p>Gerry shrugs.</p><p>“Didn’t think it’d help,” he says. His shirt’s off, so Kira can see a full row of tattoos down his back, and on his shoulder blades. All eyes. Of course. </p><p>“Hey, what’s the deal with the eyes?” Kira asks suddenly. “You have them tattooed everywhere, or…”</p><p>“Just the joints,” Gerry says. “That’s the only place they need to be.”</p><p>He doesn’t elaborate. </p><p>Cool. Good talk.</p><p> </p><p>“That sounds kind of culty,” Basil says when Kira tells xir.</p><p>“You think?”</p><p>“Well, he’s weird about religion, and he’s got a lot of tattoos with a very clear meaning that he doesn’t want to tell us,” Basil says, counting off on xir fingers. “Even if he hadn’t described his mom as occult, we <em>know </em>he has really strong opinions about the supernatural, which a lot of weird Christians do. Also, he won’t tell us anything about his family, but they haven’t shown up to help him even though he had <em>cancer. </em>He still hasn’t even told us his last name! And the only people we’ve seen him hang out with are ones he thinks are ‘too dangerous’ for us. Maybe they’re just all former cult members, but they’re not as… deprogrammed as him.”</p><p>Kira considers this.</p><p>“He is very weird,” they say. “Being raised in a cult would probably be super bad for your social skills.”</p><p>Basil nods furiously.</p><p>“Maybe he just has a lot of money because he sued them or something,” xe says. “You can sue cults, right? Oh man, we’ve been going about this all wrong. Gerry’s probably super normal, all things considered.”</p><p>“Does that mean, we should like… show him how to actually be normal?” Kira asks. “You know, so he has the option, if he wants it.”</p><p>“Do we know how to be normal?”</p><p>“We definitely know more than him.”</p><p>“Fair enough,” Basil says. Xe thinks for a moment. “We should take him to a museum. That’s pretty normal. Do you think he’d like that robot one?”</p><p>“Everyone wants to learn about robots, Basil,” Kira says.</p><p> </p><p>Kira is certain that what they’ve entered is their apartment, but it looks wrong. The halls are too sharp, and the wallpaper too bright. There’s something… <em> moving </em>in the walls. Some kind of symbol, fluttering just outside of Kira’s line of sight. They don’t try to look closer. They don’t want to know. They keep walking. The closer Kira goes to Gerry’s room, the worse it gets, and by the time they reach his door, the pounding in their head is too loud for them to even think of knocking.</p><p>But Gerry’s door is open. He’s talking to someone with a laugh that sounds like a stuttering CD.</p><p>“I know this is a long shot,” Gerry says. “But they always ask about family history, and I think you’re the only thing I can ask.”</p><p>“I’m afraid Eric Delano never felt the need to give out his medical history,” the voice says. It sounds amused. It sounds like a car screeching to a stop. Kira walks closer.</p><p>“Of course,” Gerry says. A sigh. “Well. Thanks anyway.”</p><p>The thing Gerry’s talking to is person-shaped, but it’s not a person. It’s longer than Gerry and shorter than Kira and its smile is filled with angles but its long blond hair is soft and thick, like a dog, or maybe a rug.</p><p>Gerry turns to Kira and jumps off his bed.</p><p>“Shit,” he says. He turns back to his friend. “Go. They can’t handle something like you.”</p><p>A door closes. The apartment returns to normal.</p><p>Gerry claps a hand on Kira’s shoulder. It would feel incredibly reassuring, if Kira hadn’t just seen Gerry talking to something that defied reality. Was Gerry like that, too? Was that why the people he knew looked so much like red flags? Because Gerry was too dangerous for that to matter?</p><p>“Hey,” he says. “You doing alright? You don’t have to worry about Michael, it’s just a bit—”</p><p>“Hot chocolate,” Kira says suddenly. They’re already walking back towards the kitchen.</p><p>“Uh, what?”</p><p>“It’s a good day for hot chocolate,” Kira continues. “Nice and chilly. Do you want some? I think we have a couple different kinds, actually.”</p><p>“Michael won’t hurt you,” Gerry says, more firmly. “I just needed to ask it a question. I wouldn’t have let it come inside if I knew you were coming back so soon, but I promise it won’t come back.”</p><p>Kira sets a mug down on the table and sighs.</p><p>“Why would a monster know your family history?” they ask.</p><p>“Michael knew my dad,” Gerry says, as if that explained anything. “I was hoping that’d be enough.”</p><p>“There’s no one else you can ask?” Kira asks. “Just… <em> that?” </em></p><p>Gerry looks down.</p><p>“No one that would answer,” he admits. “I tried before, but she…”</p><p>Gerry trails off, shoulders hunched.</p><p>“Do you want hot chocolate?” Kira asks. They had nothing else to offer.</p><p>Gerry just shrugs. Kira takes that as a confirmation and starts heating up milk.</p><p>“You were buried, weren’t you?” Gerry asks. He takes a seat as Kira looks for their mix. Kira pauses.</p><p>“Trapped, more like it,” they admit. They’ll never forget the pressure of the hollowed tree their father had to break them out of. They could barely raise their hands enough to scratch at the bark, and what little they could do had been all for nothing. All they could do was wait and cry as their father left to get a bat. An axe would have freed them faster, but of course Kira’s father hadn’t wanted to hurt them, even if Kira had begged and pleaded for escape. “It—it was <em>suffocating. </em> I was with my family. We were near these woods, but I wandered off, and… Well, short version, a tree ate me.”</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me,” Gerry says. “It doesn’t always help, to have someone else know.”</p><p>“I never told anyone because I wasn’t sure if they’d understand,” Kira says. “But you…”</p><p>They turn to look at Gerry, trying not to look too hopeful. Whatever they thought they wanted, whatever they thought they <em>needed </em>—it wasn’t Gerry’s responsibility to give it to them. Kira’s trauma wasn’t Gerry’s problem. He had enough on his plate without Kira dumping on more.</p><p>“I understand,” Gerry says. He smiles at them. “And I know it’s not going to come back for you. You’re stronger now.”</p><p>“I don’t <em>feel </em>strong,” Kira mutters.</p><p>“You’ve found your anchors,” Gerry says. “Most people, when they go through that, they crawl out of the dirt and leave the forest. But you planted yourself. If they can’t dig up your roots, then they can’t bury you.”</p><p>“You’re making it sound so easy,” Kira tells him. They let out a laugh. It comes out more frantic than they had been hoping for. “I was a mess for years after it happened. I just… I don’t know, one day I realized I was tired of being scared, so I started celebrating Tu B’Shevat. That’s, uh—Earth day. I think I shook the entire time, but I wanted—I <em> needed </em> to remember that what I saw wasn’t all there was.”</p><p>“And you survived,” Gerry says. Kira shrugs. They hadn’t really seen another option. </p><p>“Is that what you came here for?” They ask. “To America, I mean. To save people like me? Dig us out of the dirt?”</p><p>“You’ve never needed me to save you,” Gerry says. Kira laughs at that. Of course they did. Maybe he hadn’t saved them from the trees, but they had needed him all the same. Gerry moving in had made everything feel more balanced, somehow. Kira thinks their apartment was meant to have three people. Sure, he hadn’t <em>done </em>anything, but Kira liked Gerry. He was the weirdest person they had ever met, without a doubt, but also one of the nicest. He made them feel safe. Like there was someone watching out for them. Gerry’s presence brought them a strange sort of clarity.</p><p>“So what is Michael, anyways?” they ask. “Your weird demon uncle?”</p><p>Gerry laughs at that.</p><p>“Close enough, I guess,” he says. “It won’t hurt you because it knows you’re with me, but that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. It’s <em>really </em>dangerous. You see anything like it, you get as far away as you can. Best way to save yourself is to avoid getting spotted.”</p><p>“That’s not what you do, though,” Kira says. “Avoid it, I mean.”</p><p>“I don’t have a choice,” Gerry says. “But you do. Ignorance isn’t always safer, but you’re less likely to meet something that wants to kill you if you don’t go looking for it.”</p><p>Kira hums. They pour the hot chocolate into two mugs and add in whip cream to both.</p><p>“You don’t have to tell me anything else, if you don’t want to,” Kira says, handing Gerry his mug. They wouldn’t ask, not if he didn’t want to answer. Wouldn’t ask why Gerry didn’t think he had a choice, why he went looking for things that might kill him. They had questioned enough, when they had been choked. If the world could warp itself into a prison for Kira to be trapped in, how could that world be something they trusted? Something they believed in? And how could they love a G-d, who had made the world in their image? </p><p>It had taken them years to find something that looked like a satisfying answer. What would they gain from knowing more? A new fear, on top of their already ridiculous amount of claustrophobia? The smell of dirt still makes them feel sick. Kira is sure there is a right way to ask, but they’re not sure it’s worth it. There’s only one thing they want, honestly, and that’s the guarantee of safety.</p><p>“Just… How would I escape?” Kira asks. “If it happened again?”</p><p>“Remember that there’s someone who wants you back,” Gerry says.</p><p>“Oh,” Kira says. “I can do that. That’s easy.”</p><p>It might be the easiest thing anyone’s ever asked of them, honestly. Kira knows their parents would miss them, if they disappeared again. Basil and Mae, too. Maybe even their coworkers. And their entire synagogue had searched for them, when it had happened. Kira’s sure their new temple would do the same. </p><p>Was this what Gerry had meant about roots? They hadn’t thought they were doing anything special. It was just… they had gotten lost. And that meant they wanted to make the path a little clearer, so it wouldn’t happen again. Not to them, and not to anyone else, either.</p><p>“I think I just want to keep believing that the world is good,” Kira says. “Maybe it won’t make me safe, but it’ll make me happy.”</p><p>Gerry doesn’t tell them that they’re wrong. Doesn’t say that the world is full of tragedy, and that ignoring that meant Kira was foolish, or naive, or anything else Kira had expected. Instead, he takes a sip of his hot chocolate.</p><p>“Be happy,” he tells them. “I’ll keep you safe.”</p><p>He’s staring at them with far too much eye contact. Like he can see every path Kira’s going to take in life, and he knows how to avoid all the dead ends. And not just dead ends—whatever map Gerry had, it saw the cracks in the road, too. Every rock that could make them trip, every flower poking out of the sidewalk—he could see it all.</p><p>So if Gerry says he can keep them safe, Kira believes him. Of <em>course </em>Kira believes him.</p><p>And they don’t look up the name Eric Delano. </p><p>It’s not really their business, anyways.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Vampirism is for Posers in Junior High</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kira's not a big fan of people staring, not when their eyes are so filled with pity.<br/>They cope with it the only way they know how to; by making matching shirts for them and Gerry. Kira’s says, “IT’S CANCER. FUCK OFF” while Gerry’s reads “I HAD CANCER. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK.”<br/>Gerry really likes his shirt. He wears it to his appointment and grins at Kira when the receptionist stares a bit too long. Kira has never felt so successful as an artist.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>title from the song "Vampires Are Posers (Song for the Living)" by Ramshackle Glory</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Inspiration strikes when you least expect it.</p><p>Kira hadn’t messed with shirts in a while, but this felt like the right time to start again. People had been staring at them which, normally, they were fine with because they knew they looked cool as hell, but they’re not a big fan of the pity they keep seeing in people’s eyes. Gerry’s still in the realm of recovery where you can tell something’s up with him, even if it’s not obvious it’s cancer. Thanks to skullcap treatments, Kira hasn’t lost all their curls, but there’s still bags under their eyes, and every day, it gets a bit more obvious that they’ve forgotten how to walk a straight line.</p><p>They cope with it the only way they know how to; by making matching shirts for them and Gerry. Kira’s says, “IT’S CANCER. FUCK OFF” while Gerry’s reads “I HAD CANCER. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK.”</p><p>Gerry really likes his shirt. He wears it to his appointment and grins at Kira when the receptionist stares a bit too long. Kira has never felt so successful as an artist. </p><p>The appointment itself is kind of terrible, though. According to Gerry, the worst part of having a seizure was waking up after, being surrounded by medical professionals and worse, his boss, badgering him with questions that he couldn’t answer. And then there had been so much manhandling, because he still couldn’t stand, couldn’t find the words to tell them off, couldn’t even ask them to be gentle. Gerry admits to this quietly, fiddling with a hair tie on his wrist as they wait for the doctor. The walls of the waiting room had been enough to set him on edge, but of course, they had gone past that. Which meant things would just get worse from here.</p><p>“Do you want a distraction?” Kira offers. “I can tell you about this stupid urban legend I know. Ever heard of Grifter’s Bone?”</p><p>“Grifter’s Bone,” Gerry repeats. He raises an eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess it rings a bell.”</p><p>“I hate stuff like that,” Kira says. “Why are so many musicians obsessed with finding notes that hurt people and stuff? It’s like, in what way does that help you? If you want people to go to your shows, just become a better musician and stop relying on a gimmick to sell seats.”</p><p>Gerry snorts. He stops fiddling with the hair tie and brushes a lock of hair out of his face.</p><p>“As much as I’d love to hear whatever else you’ve got to say about that, you don’t have to try and cheer me up or anything,” Gerry says. “You’re here. I think that’s really all I need.”</p><p>Kira nods. They don’t know what else to say, so they just hold out their hand. Gerry stares for a moment before he takes it. Kira smiles at him. Gerry tries to smile back.</p><p>There’s no reason to spend more time thinking about the visit than they have to, so Kira doesn’t. What else is there to say? Kira is a little horrified with every fact they learn about Gerry’s medical history and the test for POTS—the tilt table test—is awful. Kira should have expected as much, since they had heard it involved being strapped down and lifted while a doctor watches you gasp for breath. But knowing that and actually seeing Gerry, chest covered in wires and gasping for breath, were two very different things. He hadn’t passed out during the test, which meant they needed to make things worse for him and give him something that, according to Gerry, felt like a panic attack.</p><p>So, yeah, Gerry wasn’t having a fun day, and Kira felt more than a little guilty that they were a part of that. They wished they could do more than just watch and squeeze his hand in reassurance. </p><p>At least they didn’t have to yell at any doctors, though that didn’t make talking about treatment plans any more fun.</p><p> </p><p>They go to McDonald’s after. As they eat, Kira is hit with the dizzying realization that there is probably no one in the country who knows Gerry like they do. That couldn’t be right, could it? Gerry was still so much of a mystery to them and, really, all they knew was a fraction of his medical history. People were more than the facts they gave at doctor’s visits.</p><p>Gerry catches them staring. Kira looks away.</p><p>“Thanks for buying me lunch,” they say. Gerry makes a noise of acknowledgment, mouth filled with fries. “Do you have, like, an unlimited supply of money? Because you’ve got to be spending a lot, but you don’t really seem to care about that.”</p><p>“Not unlimited,” Gerry says. “But I’ve got enough.”</p><p>“Enough to pay for your doctor’s appointments <em> and </em>my rent?” Kira asks. “Do you even have insurance? I mean, I know traveler’s insurance exists, but that’s got to run out eventually, right?”</p><p>“I’ve got something,” Gerry says. “Don’t worry about it.”</p><p>Kira raises an eyebrow. They take a bite out of their burger.</p><p>“I guess I could have gone back to London for the appointment,” Gerry says, mostly to himself. “Might’ve been easier.”</p><p>“You’d leave?” Kira says, trying to keep the disappointment out of their voice. Of course he would. Who would willingly want to deal with the American healthcare system?</p><p>“Of course not,” Gerry says. “But Michael—it could make the trip in seconds. Doesn’t really matter where I am, if it helps me out.”</p><p>“That’s convenient.”</p><p>“Not sure if you should come with me if I did that, though,” Gerry says. “Like I said, Michael’s dangerous. If you can’t stand the sight of it, there’s no way you’d make it in its hallways. Maybe it’d be different if it just switched the doors around, but I don’t know how much safer that is. It might still mark you, and that doesn’t go away. Creatures like it get a bit bolder, once they see something’s already tried to make you afraid.”</p><p>“Well, I don’t want to go anywhere if it’ll make me look like monster food,” Kira says. “But maybe having a teleporting friend would make that worth it.”</p><p>“Don’t pretend you’re considering it,” Gerry snorts.</p><p>“I’m not,” Kira admits. “I don’t want to be mean because it’s your friend, but I never want to see Michael again. Not even if it has cool magic powers.”</p><p>“Good,” Gerry says. “Power isn’t worth the trouble it brings. Remember that.”</p><p>“Sure,” Kira says. They’re not really sure how much they care about power. It definitely doesn’t seem worth the stress. They pause for a moment. “Oh, am <em> I </em>why you didn’t go to London? Because traveling with Michael would mess me up?”</p><p>“It’s something I considered,” Gerry says. “Honestly, I don’t think I’m ready to go back. London’s just…”</p><p>“Too many memories?” Kira guesses.</p><p>“Something like that, yeah,” Gerry says. He pauses. “You took my beer a while back.” </p><p>“Yeah,” Kira says, a little surprised by the change in topic. “You didn’t look like you were, uh, in the right place to drink it.”</p><p>Gerry gives a short nod in acknowledgment. He doesn’t bother trying to argue.</p><p>“You keep helping me out,” Gerry says. “And all I can do is buy you a burger and fries.”</p><p>“You’re selling yourself short,” Kira says. “You’re the one paying my rent, and all I can offer <em>you </em>is some of my free time, which we both know I’ve got loads of. Shouldn’t I be the one worried about bothering you? All those movie marathons are probably cutting into valuable time you’d probably be using to save the world.”</p><p>“I like it when you bother me,” Gerry says. He smiles. “It’s a nice change of pace.”</p><p>“Then I’ll keep doing it,” Kira says. </p><p>They snatch the last fry from Gerry’s plate, who rolls his eyes and steals a handful of Kira's in response. Kira gasps.</p><p>“You weren’t going to finish them anyways,” Gerry says.</p><p>“But they were <em>mine,” </em>Kira replies. Gerry steals another fry. Kira gasps again, then laughs. </p><p>“I really didn’t expect you to care so much,” Gerry admits. “Not enough to actually take me to a doctor.”</p><p>Kira pushes the rest of their fries towards Gerry. He had been right; they weren’t going to finish it.</p><p>“You didn’t want to go alone,” they say. “And I wanted you to go. Seemed like a pretty obvious solution. Why wouldn’t I take you?”</p><p>“We’ve only known each other for a few months,” Gerry says.</p><p>“I would have gone with you even if we’d only known each other for a couple of weeks,” Kira says. “I don’t think it has to be that complicated. You’re my friend. I like you. I want you to be okay. And I mean, I could see you needed help. What kind of person would I be if I didn’t give it?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Gerry says. “I can understand that.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kira has too much free time. This fact surprises them more than it should until Kira realizes that, until recently, their free time had been spent freaking out about how weird Gerry was. Time really flies when you spent it making conspiracy theories about your roommate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, Kira’s starting to think they may have overreacted. Gerry probably wasn’t that weird. Like, yeah, obviously he hung out with things like Michael, and, yeah, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>was weird, but Kira hadn’t known that when they first met. Gerry had mostly just seemed weird at the beginning because Kira hadn’t known him, and because he hadn’t talked much. Of course, now that they knew he had been completely alone, in a new country, after he had both a seizure and brain surgery, the fact that he had been a bit quiet was no longer a surprise. Honestly, it’d probably taken him all of his energy just to keep himself standing. It was no wonder they kept finding him too exhausted to chat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d actually had a pretty normal conversation when they’d first met. Kira wouldn’t have let him stay with them if they hadn’t. When they had first introduced themselves, they had begun explaining Basil’s pronouns, and Gerry had cut them off, saying they didn’t need to give him the cis explanation of things, because he wasn’t, so Kira had welcomed him to their “house of nonbinary snake lovers.” Gerry had laughed at that and said he was happy to have found his people.</span>
</p><p>In any case, whatever the reason Gerry had come to America, he was still just… Gerry. Maybe he was coming back to the apartment at weird hours because he was fighting monsters. Maybe he had a part-time job. Kira was pretty sure that second thing wasn’t true, because he didn’t actually have a green card or whatever—not like they thought that would stop him, honestly—but the point was, it was rude to judge your friends like that.</p><p>He’s still awake at weird hours, though Kira thinks that they and Basil might be peer-pressuring him a bit into an almost normal sleep schedule. But Gerry had told them that he felt the most productive at 1 AM, and who was Kira to say that was wrong? Honestly, it’s becoming a bit of a comfort now. If Kira feels like shit during the day, they can talk to Basil or Mae. But if they’re up past midnight having a breakdown while they try to cope with the fact that they’re living with a diagnosis that kills people, then they can go to Gerry. It’s nice.</p><p>As Kira thinks about this, the door opens. Gerry’s back. It’s 1 AM. He asks if there’s anything they want to talk about.</p><p>“No, no,” Kira says. “I’m fine. Just… can’t sleep. What about you, though? Anything on your mind?”</p><p>“You can’t avoid your problems by helping me,” Gerry tells them, amused.</p><p>“That’s not what I was doing,” Kira says. But this is Gerry, and Kira’s pretty sure he can smell lies, so they add, “Helping people is easy. Easy isn’t distracting.”</p><p>“It’s not,” Gerry agrees. “It’s just nice.”</p><p>It was. And it was nice to be needed by someone, even if Kira was half-convinced that all this would end with them dead, and the only way anyone would ever speak about them would be about how much character development they’d given everyone, as if they were just some sick friend of a YA protagonist. Kira hated the thought of it, hated that they might be remembered like some kind of saint just because they had the misfortune of dying young. Then again, it wasn’t the worst of fates. At least it would mean their life had meant <em>something. </em></p><p>“What do you think happens when you die?” Kira asks. Gerry doesn’t even raise an eyebrow.</p><p>“Nothing,” he says. “You just get to rest.”</p><p>“Oh,” Kira says, feeling strangely disappointed. “My dad used to say it was Torah study.”</p><p>This, Gerry reacts to.</p><p>“Studying?” he says. “Even though you’re dead? What’s the point?”</p><p>“The point of knowledge is that you have more knowledge,” Kira says. “And that you use that knowledge to make something better. Also, sometimes it’s just nice to have the chance to talk about something you like, you know? Get a different opinion. Like… a book club. You’re not supposed to have the same experience. You’re just supposed to share, and maybe learn something new about a character you liked.”</p><p>“I’ve never been to a book club,” Gerry says. </p><p>“It’s fun,” Kira says. “It’s like arguing with people, but you’re all on the same side. Been a while since I read anything new, though.”</p><p>They pause.</p><p>“You’re not going to die from this, Kira,” Gerry says. He sounds so certain. “This won’t be the thing that ends you.”</p><p>“Oh,” Kira says. As weird as it sounds, they believe him. He makes it sound ominous as hell, but somehow, that doesn’t make it any less comforting. It just makes it sound like a prophecy. “Thank you.”</p><p>“Go to bed,” Gerry says. “You have to wake up at eight.”</p><p>Kira groans.</p><p>“I do,” they say. “What the hell am I doing up this late?”</p><p> </p><p>At some point, Basil remembers that Gerry said he was originally in America for a business trip, which means that one, Gerry had probably been living out of, like, a singular backpack, and two, everything they had seen him wear was his business clothes.</p><p>Kira can’t imagine that there’s any job in the world where Gerry’s platform boots are acceptable business attire, though they do look like they’d be pretty good monster-stomping boots, which is what Kira assumes they’re actually being used for. Not that Kira’s going to tell Basil that when Basil doesn’t even believe in ghosts.</p><p>Turns out that Kira doesn’t even need to try to explain because Basil’s biggest concern about that is that this means Gerry needs to go clothes shopping. Like now.</p><p>
  <span>Kira tries to protest, saying that they think Gerry might’ve bought a couple of shirts online or something, and he owned a Heinz ketchup shirt, which he had to have bought in Pittsburgh, and making him walk anywhere when his balance was still so bad was probably a crime, even if he had just bought a cane, but Basil’s already knocking on Gerry’s door.</span>
</p><p>“Yeah?” Gerry says.</p><p>“So,” Basil says. “You used to live in England.”</p><p>“I did,” Gerry confirms.</p><p>“And you didn’t plan on coming here,” Basil adds. “Which means that, like, you probably left all your clothes there. In England. Where you can’t get them.”</p><p>“Oh,” Gerry says. “No, uh, my, ah, Uncle Michael brought most of my stuff over?”</p><p>The weird look he gives confirms to Kira that, yes, he is talking about that weird monster they met. Was he only calling it an uncle because they had? That was kind of cute, actually.</p><p>“You have an uncle?” Basil asks. “I didn’t think you had any family.”</p><p>“It’s not family,” Gerry says. “It’s just… someone I know. Who can move things around.”</p><p>Kira wonders if Gerry knows the fact that he’s using neopronouns for Michael means Basil’s going to assume that Michael’s just some cool older trans person that helped Gerry transition or something. Then again, Kira couldn’t be sure that wasn’t also true. Maybe it went to Pride every year. They didn’t know how Michael lived its life.</p><p>“Oh,” Basil says. “But it has the keys to your house?”</p><p>“Oh, no,” Gerry says. He pauses. “I mean, yeah, it can get in, it’s fine.”</p><p>Basil turns to Kira, eyebrow raised, because it’s very clear that “Uncle Michael” is way too comfortable breaking and entering. Kira understands. No one should have a sketchy uncle that breaks into places. Kira wishes that was the only thing wrong with this conversation.</p><p>“So your landlord let it in or something?” Kira asks. Gerry looks relieved.</p><p>“Yes,” he says. “That’s probably what happened.”</p><p>“Oh,” Basil says. “Yeah, that makes sense. Anyways, want to go shopping?”</p><p>“Sure,” Gerry shrugs. “Why not?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There’s a lot of cool shops in downtown Pittsburgh. Kira’s a little surprised to hear that Gerry hasn’t even been to Southside, especially since he had Micheal and his weird teleporter powers to help him get around, but apparently, Gerry only goes out when he needs to meet terrifying women for coffee. Which means Kira and Basil get to be the one to introduce him to this thrift store they sometimes go to, and every other cool shop. Also, Kira wants to know what Gerry thinks about American candy. One of the only things Kira knows about England is that the candy tastes different there. Basil says that’s because England has a different breed of sugar than America does. Gerry doesn’t know about that, but he bought some gum a while back, and it for sure tasted a little weird.</span>
</p><p>“Different sugar breeds,” Basil says seriously, as they all walk into another shop.</p><p>“It’s not sugar breeds, it’s…” Gerry trails off and glares at Basil. “Now I can’t remember. I can’t stop thinking of it as a breed, Jesus.”</p><p>Basil grins, victorious.</p><p>“You can prove me wrong later,” xe says. “Let’s buy something fancy. Kira’s cousin’s getting married in a couple months, and I’m invited because Kira and I fake-dated in high school and that’s a bond you can never break. You should come with us!”</p><p>“Sorry,” Gerry says. “Fake-dated?”</p><p>“Yeah, you know, it happens sometimes you’re a gay high schooler and you don’t want anyone to know,” Basil says. “Probably would have worked better if one of us actually looked straight.”</p><p>“I can either pretend to be straight or look straight, but I can’t do both at once,” Kira says. “Anyways, it wasn’t a big deal. Point is, if I’m invited somewhere, Basil is too.”</p><p>“And it’s not weird for all your roommates to come to your cousin’s wedding?” Gerry asks.</p><p>“Mae’s coming, too,” Kira says. “What can I say? I like traveling in groups. I’m a pack animal. Plus, it wouldn’t be fair if you had to sit around at home while we were off having fun.”</p><p>Gerry snorts.</p><p>“And you really want to introduce me to your family?” he asks.</p><p>“Why wouldn’t I?”</p><p>“Do you really think I know how to talk to people?” Gerry asks, amused. “Don’t know if you’ve noticed, you two are probably kind of my only friends.”</p><p>Basil and Kira both let out a small gasp.</p><p>“It’s not that I don’t know anyone,” Gerry adds, seeing their expressions. “Got on pretty well with a few people I knew back in England, honestly, but I wouldn’t say we were friends. I mean, I didn’t want us to be. It would have been dangerous for them to get too close. My mum, she… Well, living with her didn’t make it easy.”</p><p>Basil pats Gerry on the shoulder.</p><p>“Well, it’s okay if you don’t understand people,” Basil says. “I have ADHD so I’m shit with social cues, but what I do know is that if someone’s cool, they’re not going to get mad if you can’t always show up. They’re just going to want to know you’ll come when you can. Like, you know, how we’re all hanging out now.”</p><p>“Of course I am,” Gerry says. “You asked.”</p><p>“Well, yeah, but you don’t have to do things just because we ask you to,” Basil says. Xe’s gone back to looking through the clothing racks, and spots a dress hanging nearby. “Oh, this would look good on you. Gerry, do you have any dresses? You should get some dresses.”</p><p>“I’ve got some skirts, but I don’t wear them that much,” Gerry says. “I get into a lot of weird shit, most days, and I don’t want to ruin them.”</p><p>“If you had more skirts, you probably won’t be so worried about ruining one,” Basil tells him.</p><p>“Maybe,” Gerry says. He goes to take the dress, but when Basil sees his hand, xe grabs his wrist and gasps.</p><p>“What’s on your hand?” Basil asks. “Are you okay?”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Gerry insists. He wriggles out of xir grasp, surprised by the sudden contact. “It’s just sports tape. I use it all the time.”</p><p>“Sports tape,” Basil repeats. “All the time? You know you can get ring splints, right? I mean, you’re supposed to go to a doctor, so they fit your fingers right. But you can just buy them online. You shouldn’t, but you could.”</p><p>Gerry goes still at the mention of doctors. Basil frowns.</p><p>“Is this what you meant when you said dislocating a wrist was no big deal?” xe asks. “Because it’s starting to sound like a big deal.”</p><p>“And I’m dealing with it, aren’t I?” Gerry scoffs. He shoves his hands in his jacket pockets.</p><p>“I mean, yeah, in theory,” Basil replies. Xe looks at him, eyes soft with pity. “Look… I know it sucks, figuring stuff like this out, but trust me, it’ll get so much easier once you do.”</p><p>“It should already be getting easier,” Gerry says, frustrated. “I beat cancer. I shouldn’t have to keep fighting.”</p><p>“You shouldn’t,” Basil agrees. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>Gerry’s face crumples. </p><p>“It’s stupid,” he says. “I mean, I already made my decision. I wanted to—I thought I wanted to live, even if it meant living alone. Not like I wasn’t already. Only people I met were the ones I messed with. It was—I guess it was some kind of comfort. To know there was something really awful out there, and I was ruining its day. Gave me something to do, anyways. A way to make myself useful. But it’s safe here, more or less. If I want trouble, I’d have to go find it, but what the hell would I go look for? I’ve been out of the loop for too long. There’s nothing waiting for me. No one to plan around. Nothing to do but get better.”</p><p>“Isn’t that a good thing?” Kira asks.</p><p>“Sure,” Gerry says. “If I actually knew how to do that, instead of making you drag me to a doctor.”</p><p>“You’re the one who let me drag you,” Kira tells him. Gerry shakes his head.</p><p>“Don’t pretend I’m someone who can take care of himself,” he says. He laughs, short and bitter. “Did you know, I almost didn’t realize I had cancer? Wouldn’t have even made an appointment if a friend hadn’t forced me to. Guess I was already so used to the pain I didn’t notice that it was getting worse. Just assumed my body was fucking me over, like always. And then I dealt with that. Exhausted myself with chemo for over a year, and still went on a trip here, of all places, and had the worst day of my life. Then I woke up the next day, and they told me I would die if I didn’t do something. So I got surgery. Easy to make the choice, when it’s laid out like that. But everything still hurts. It hurts so much, and I can’t breathe. Wasn’t I supposed to feel better? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go? Why did I fight so hard if everything was just going to—to…”</p><p>Gerry trails off. Basil touches his shoulder, and Gerry leans into it, so Basil pulls him into a tight hug.</p><p>“Well,” Basil says. “We’re glad you’re here.”</p><p>“You barely know me,” Gerry says. “Half the time, I’m asleep when you get home.”</p><p>“So?” Basil asks, still holding tight. “We’re still friends. And I’m still glad you’re here.”</p><p>Maybe Basil doesn’t know what Kira does, but Kira thinks xe knows enough. Xe knows that Gerry’s had a hard time, and that he’s making the best of it now, and that he’s doing it sober. Sober and stuck in a country that wasn’t his own, and still somehow finding the time to help people with their nightmares. Still found time to sing to snakes, to do his make-up and have movie marathons, even though, thinking back, sitting still so long had probably made him ache. Kira hadn’t thought about it then. He hadn’t complained. Kira thinks this might be the first time they’ve heard Gerry actually really admit to his suffering. Even when he told them about his seizure, it had sounded so matter of fact. <span>Like, yes, it had traumatized him, but obviously, it hadn’t been the first thing to do so, really, it wasn’t a big deal.</span></p><p>But it was a big deal. Because it had been the worst day of his life, and he had survived it. And if he had survived that, he could survive this. But that was a cheesy thing to say, even if it was true. Kira didn’t think Gerry would want to be comforted like that.</p><p>“Gerry?” Kira asks. “Can I buy you a donut?”</p><p>Gerry looks at them.</p><p>“It’s just… it kind of sounds like you’ve gone through a lot,” Kira explains. “And I think you might deserve a prize. Like, a really big one. But I only have enough money for a donut right now, so…”</p><p>“I can buy my own donut,” Gerry says with a sniff.</p><p>“Well, yeah,” Kira says. “But that’s not going to stop me.”</p><p> </p><p>So they go get donuts, because the only thing embarrassing than being near-tears in a public place is crying in that place, and Gerry was getting dangerously close to the latter. There’s a shop Kira knows nearby that has some really good ones. Gerry gets a s'mores donut. It’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect; dipped in chocolate and filled with marshmallow creme, and topped with graham cracker crumbs, along with some burnt-looking marshmallow, and a mini Hershey. Basically, it’s an outrageous amount of sugar. He seems happy with his choice.</p><p>“Are there any good bands here?” Gerry asks as they all eat. “I’m just realizing, I haven’t been to a concert in a while.”</p><p>“They’re not worth your time,” Kira says seriously.</p><p>“They’re fine,” Basil says. Xe pats Kira’s head. It doesn’t calm them down. They’re too filled with rage. “Kira just has beef with like, three different local bands.”</p><p>“Four,” Kira corrects, taking a bite out of their donut with more force than necessary. Gerry looks at them, overjoyed.</p><p>“I never expected you to be so petty,” he says. “What’d they do?”</p><p>“It’s a long story,” Basil says. It really wasn’t. Basil just didn’t want Kira to rant about it now because there’d been enough emotions today. Too bad. Kira is filled with rage.</p><p>“They,” Kira says. “Are a disgrace. All of them.”</p><p>“They’re idiots, Kira. They’re not worth your time.”</p><p>“If I spend enough time talking shit, my words will turn into a curse against them.”</p><p>“We don’t have to go to a concert,” Gerry says, interrupting them. “I’ve just had a lot of free time lately. Been looking for something to do.”</p><p>“Does that mean there’s no more evil clowns?” Basil asks.</p><p>“None that I can find, at least,” Gerry tells xir. “Normally, I would have left by now. Found another country to cause trouble in.”</p><p>“Does that mean you want to go on vacation?” Basil asks. “Because we can go on a road trip or something if you want.”</p><p>“You don’t want to go on a trip with me,” Gerry says.</p><p>“Because the evil clowns will find you?” Kira asks.</p><p>“I feel like you two are really hung up on that,” Gerry says. “Honestly, it’s nothing you need to worry about. They’re probably gone now. Not that I really want to go looking for them. I tend to attract some weird shit when I go places, and I’m not so sure I want to deal with that right now.”</p><p>There’s something to be said about Gerry, of all people, not wanting to attract attention, but Kira doesn’t mention it.</p><p>“Guess I could paint,” Gerry adds. “But I left all my brushes back in London, and…”</p><p>And Gerry’s hands still shake. And they might always. Because recovering didn’t always mean you’d be able to go back to who you were before, especially when the thing you had hurt controlled so much of your life. Kira hadn’t played their guitar in ages, because it reminded them that their hearing might not get better. Sure, there were deaf musicians, but Kira didn’t know how to be one of them. And maybe it wasn’t very punk of them, but they didn’t want the last song they sang to sound like shit. They couldn’t stand the thought of realizing mid-song that they hadn’t properly tuned their guitar or, even worse, that they’d hit the wrong note and not even notice it. They used to think they’d spend the rest of their life writing songs, but now they’re not so sure.</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe you should take up sculpting,” Kira suggests. “If you’re bored, though, there’s a lot of museums in Pittsburgh. We’ve actually been meaning to ask if you wanted to go to one with us. If you’re up to it, I mean. There’s a few smaller ones that aren’t too hard to get to, so it shouldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>much walking.”</span>
</p><p>“Might be fun,” Gerry says with a shrug. “Already went to—what’s that one called? The Heinz?”</p><p>Basil and Kira look at each other.</p><p>“Gerry,” Basil says slowly. “The Senator Heinz History Center is a renovated warehouse. It has five floors.”</p><p>“Was it?” Gerry says. “Didn’t feel like five floors. It’s not like I looked it up or anything. I was just in the area, and the next thing I knew, I was looking at tomatoes and wandering around the gift shop.”</p><p>Kira thinks this sounds like what someone having a breakdown would do. They very politely decide against mentioning this. </p><p>“Well,” Kira says eventually. “I’m glad you didn’t have to walk through all five floors.”</p><p> </p><p>When they get home, Gerry talks a little more about the sports tape and the reason behind it. He says he thinks he might have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which is apparently some genetic disorder that gives you really flexible joints which dislocate far too easily. Gerry says he can’t throw a punch with his right hand without something popping out of place. Also, apparently it’s comorbid with like, five different things that sounded like hell. </p><p>When Kira asks what they mean by super flexible, Gerry touches his thumb to his forearm. Kira tries and fails not to wince. They hate that his body can do this, and hate that Basil laughs when they react.</p><p>“I kind of forgot not everyone’s like this, honestly,” Gerry admits. “Probably doesn’t help that I’ve met a lot of weird people traveling.”</p><p>“Were they clowns?” Kira asks, before they can stop themself.</p><p>“A lot of them were,” Gerry admits. “But I already knew the clowns weren’t normal.”</p><p>“They’re clowns,” Basil says.</p><p>“Among other things,” Gerry agrees.</p><p>Basil opens xir mouth, then closes it.</p><p>“I don’t know if I want to know what kind of circus you went to,” Basil tells him. “But I’m getting the sense it was kind of fucked up.”</p><p>Gerry shrugs.</p><p>“Well, anyways, I don’t know too much about Ehlers, but I do know it’s kind of hard to diagnose,” Basil says. “Mostly because of doctors refusing to give out referrals and stuff. So I totally don’t blame you for not wanting to try. Especially since you were busy with your evil clowns, apparently.”</p><p>“Clown’s are a pretty new problem, actually,” Gerry tells xir. “They didn’t actually really start bothering me until a couple years ago.”</p><p>“Gerry,” Basil begs. “Please. I have so many questions to ask but I want to be a responsible friend and talk about your health.”</p><p>“Nothing much to say, is there?” Gerry says with a shrug. “You said it yourself; it’s hard to diagnose. Why bother?”</p><p>“Because there is no way you’re going to learn all you need to know about Ehlers just from browsing a few websites,” Basil says. “I mean, we won’t force you to do anything. You might not have to get a diagnosis to get actual ring splints, but it’s worth looking into that at least, isn’t it? Think about how much better your hands would feel with real splints.”</p><p>Gerry considers this.</p><p>“It’d fit your aesthetic pretty well,” Kira adds. Gerry snorts.</p><p>“Well, those both sound like pretty great reasons to go to a doctor,” he says.</p><p>“Does that mean you’re convinced?” Basil asks. “Because I need to know what your deal with clowns is.”</p><p>“Dunno how much I can really go into it,” Gerry says.</p><p>“Why?” Basil demands. “Did you sign some kind of NDA?”</p><p>“A no-clown disclosure agreement,” Kira says.</p><p>“Tell me one story,” Basil begs. “I just need a little context. I won’t be able to forget it if you don’t.”</p><p>“I’m not sure you’d like my clown stories,” Gerry says. “But there’s other weird shit I could probably share.”</p><p>Basil moves closer.</p><p>“Tell me,” xe demands. “I want to know how you live your life.”</p><p>Gerry laughs at that.</p><p>“Well,” he says. “I went to France a little while ago. Found a guy who fell in love with a beetle.”</p><p>“Okay, wait, when you say ‘fell in love’ are we talking like, actual love?” Basil asks. “Or cat parasite love?”</p><p>“Cat parasite?” Gerry asks.</p><p>“The one that makes you love cats,” Basil says. Xe turns to Kira. “You know what I’m talking about, right?”</p><p>“Toxoplasma gondii,” Kira says, proud that they had remembered it by name. “They can only reproduce in cats or something, so they mess up rats' brains to make it so they don’t get scared of cats. And if people get it, they just start liking cats a lot.”</p><p>“This is real?” Gerry says. He sounds genuinely concerned. “What else does it do?”</p><p>“Wait, so he was <em> really </em> in love with a beetle?” Basil asks. “With a <em> beetle? </em> How? <em> Why?” </em></p><p>“Technically, it was more of a swarm,” Gerry replies, distracted. “But <em>cats? </em>Just cats?”</p><p>“Just cats,” Kira confirms. “It’s fine, it doesn’t, like, actually hurt people. The most it can do is make you a little weird.”</p><p>“I’m already a little weird,” Gerry says.</p><p>“Then you don’t have to worry, do you?” Kira says. “And anyways, you’d know if you had it.”</p><p>It’s a total lie, and Kira <em>knows </em>Gerry can tell, but he chooses to be comforted by it.</p><p>“Can we please go back to the beetles?” Basil begs. “What happened?”</p><p>“Oh, we burned down his house,” Gerry tells xir. “Only way to deal with an infection like that.”</p><p>Basil and Kira stare. There’s nothing either of them can say to Gerry’s matter-of-fact tone. Maybe Gerry was just a regular exterminator. Maybe in France, that’s just how everyone dealt with bugs. Then again, that didn’t really explain the clowns. Unless it did. Had Gerry ever said they were human clowns? Wait, no, they don’t want to go down that rabbit hole.</p><p>“Oh,” Kira says eventually. “I see. Of course.”</p><p>“Couldn’t you have just… gotten bug spray or whatever?” Basil asks hesitantly.</p><p>“Maybe,” Gerry says, but it’s clear he doesn’t think so. “Wasn’t really my idea, actually. Told you I was traveling with someone, right?”</p><p>“I can’t believe there’s someone out there who’s as much of a pyromantic as you,” Basil says, overjoyed. “What did you do for a living?”</p><p>Gerry just shrugs.</p><p>“I kind of want to meet your boss now,” Basil adds. “I need to know what kind of person suggests <em>fire </em>to get rid of bugs. Do you know if she’s coming back to America soon?”</p><p>Gerry frowns and looks down at his hands. He starts fiddling with a piece of sports tape still stuck to a finger.</p><p>“I don’t,” he says. Kira gets the sense that xe had asked him to admit something painful. “Don’t really know what she’s doing now. She hasn’t—I mean, we haven’t really kept in touch.”</p><p>Basil tilts xir head at his tone and looks at Kira, but they had no words of comfort to give. All they knew was that Gerry wore loneliness so often it might as well be another pin on his jacket. Nothing Basil couldn’t see xirself.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Basil says carefully. </p><p>“Not really a surprise, honestly,” Gerry says. “She was never one for small talk. But I’m sure she’ll call me if she needs me.”</p><p>Kira doesn’t tell him how sad that sounds. It’s clear from the forced casualness of his tone, he doesn’t want to hear it.</p><p>“Well, she’ll just have to wait,” Kira says instead. “Because <em> we </em>need you.”</p><p> </p><p>Gerry comes to Kira’s next appointment. </p><p>Mae already promised to go, so he doesn’t really need to, but Kira’s getting another brain scan, and they appreciate the extra support. Also, it’s kind of funny to see Gerry and Mae in the same place. When the two stand next to Kira, they feel like they’re part of a punk-to-goth gradient. They also both have terrible resting bitch faces, and Kira is really enjoying the wide berth everyone is suddenly giving them. No one’s ever really scared of Kira, even with the spikes on their jacket. They’re just too short to be properly threatening. It’s a sad truth, but they’ve made peace with it.</p><p>Anyways, the appointment goes surprisingly well. Mae holds Kira’s hand while the nurse talks to her, and Kira’s proud to announce that most of their symptoms have gone away, except for the ringing in their ear. The nurse doesn’t seem too surprised, and tells Kira that might take a while to fade, but they don’t see why it shouldn’t.</p><p>And then they get the MRI.</p><p>“I know the drill,” Kira tells the nurse. “You can’t tell me anything, right?”</p><p>“There’s no need to sound so negative,” the nurse says. “Your tumor has been shrinking for a while now. I can’t promise good news, but it’s very unlikely things will get worse.”</p><p>“Okay,” Kira says, unconvinced.</p><p>“Barring any extreme changes, you should be able to finish chemotherapy soon,” the nurse tells them. “And then you can get back to your old life.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Kira says, feeling strangely undone by the choice of words. “My old life.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just weird, I guess,” Kira says, once they leave. “I got so wrapped up in being sick, I never thought about what I’d do after.”</p><p>“I know the feeling,” Gerry says.</p><p>“This is after for you, though, isn’t it?” Kira says. “Shouldn’t you have some kind of idea of what to do? Don’t you have some sage advice to give me?”</p><p>“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, Kira, but I have a lot more problems than just cancer,” Gerry tells them.</p><p>“Yeah,” Kira mumbles. “I know the feeling.”</p><p>It’d be easy, if the tumor had been the only thing. If bodies were so simple that you could be cut up, and they’d take all that was wrong with you away, and that’d be it. No more problems. </p><p>But they hadn’t recovered yet. And when they did, there’d still be more. More bills to pay, more problems to solve, and a new host of nightmares to deal with on top of the ones they’d had since childhood, dreams where the bark pushed harder and harder into Kira’s skin until they were one and the same. Their therapist had never fully managed to cure them of their fear of containment. One of the reasons why a part of Kira couldn’t find it in themself to blame their body for the tumor. Of course their brain wanted to escape from the prison of bone that surrounded it. Hadn’t freedom always been what they wanted?</p><p>But they were free now. Or getting close to it, at least. And maybe one day, they’d be able to see their body as a friend, instead of something keeping them trapped.</p><p>G-d, what were they going to <em>do </em>with their free time? If Gerry wasn’t sick, and Kira wasn’t sick, then they’d really have nothing to do but go back to making music, but they still didn’t know if their hearing would come back. At least it had only been one ear. At least it still worked, even if it didn’t work well. Fuck, Kira was so <em> tired </em>of being grateful that things weren’t worse. </p><p>“Gerry,” Kira says. “What’s your favorite song?”</p><p>“What?” Gerry asks. “Why?”</p><p>“I want to learn a new song,” Kira says. “I’ll do a cover of it for you.”</p><p>“Better pick fast,” Mae adds. “If you don’t, they’ll just choose something for you.”</p><p>“That’s right,” Kira agrees. “I’ll choose an MCR song.”</p><p>The look Gerry gives them goes past confusion. Kira bursts out laughing.</p><p>“What does MCR have to do with anything?” Gerry asks.</p><p>“The… main singer’s name is Gerard?” Kira says.</p><p>“It is?”</p><p>“Okay, there is no way Kira is the first person to make that joke,” Mae cuts in.</p><p>“I’m sorry I don’t pay attention to the names of American musicians,” Gerry tells her.</p><p>“You knew the band!”</p><p>“Doesn’t mean I know everyone in it! I’ve only listened to one song!”</p><p>“Okay, okay,” Kira laughs. “I’m sorry, Gerry. I didn’t mean to sound like a music snob about MCR.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Gerry says. Kira giggles.</p><p>“It doesn’t have to be MCR, though,” they say. “I just want to sing something. Even if it’s weird metal shit. I can scream really loud. I haven’t done it lately, but I know I could be a great metal singer.”</p><p>Gerry snorts.</p><p>“I’ll think about it,” he says.</p><p> </p><p>After they get back from temple one afternoon, Kira cleans their room. It’s the first time they’ve bothered to try in months. But the women at shul always ask about their health, and one of them almost cried when Kira mentioned that they were now officially cancer-free, a fact Kira had already celebrated with Basil and Gerry. Basil had joked that because of xir arthritis and Gerry’s POTS, they would soon be the only roommate who wasn’t immuno-compromised, and that they better not ruin that anytime soon. It was surprisingly energizing to know how many people had been worried about them. Kira didn’t want to let them down. They needed proof. Proof that they really were doing better. A clean room was a good start.</p><p>They’re singing to themself when Gerry walks into their room, expression unreadable. Kira’s mouth snaps shut.</p><p>“I hate bugs,” is all Gerry says. Kira had been singing a weird song, so it was a fair response. “Bugs in the kitchen and mold in the sink” isn’t really a line that makes a lot of people feel better, even if Kira thought it was funny as hell to sing while cleaning.</p><p>“Uh,” Kira says. “Noted. Sorry. Guess I got a little carried away. Just got back from temple, so I guess I’m just feeling spiritually pumped or something. Makes me wanna clean my room.”</p><p>“Glad to see meeting Michael didn’t ruin your faith,” Gerry says.</p><p>“If you’re going to tell me G-d isn’t real, I don’t really care,” Kira tells him. “I mean, I know you wouldn’t say that, but I just want you to know that I’m not trusting anything some white Christian says about religion.”</p><p>“You shouldn’t,” Gerry says. “Just wanted to say that I think it’s impressive. I don’t meet a lot of people who see what I’ve seen and still believe in a higher power. Well, not the kind you do.”</p><p>“I’m not sure what I believe, honestly,” Kira says. “But I think there’s something to be said for doing a ritual just because it’s a ritual. And I mean, it’s temple. If G-d exists, that's where I’d find an answer. Or at least find the right questions to ask to get one. And if I don’t, that’s fine. I’m not going for G-d. I’m going for me.”</p><p>“Huh,” Gerry says. </p><p>“It’s okay if you don’t get it,” Kira tells him. Gerry shrugs.</p><p>“I’m not really one for rituals,” he says. It was a lie. Gerry had playlists for, like, everything he did. Instead of mentioning that, Kira just shrugs.</p><p>“Anyways, there’s a stain on my wall I’ve been staring at for months, so I’m going to go clean that up, unless…,” they say.</p><p>“Uh, yeah,” Gerry says. “Just wanted to say I made the appointment. Probably won’t go get an actual diagnosis or anything, but I guess I could ask about it?”</p><p>“They’ll probably want you to take some blood tests,” Kira says. “Gotta check all their bases or whatever.”</p><p>“Probably,” Gerry agrees. He makes a face. “Do you know how many tests Basil had to take to get diagnosed?”</p><p>“At least like, ten,” Kira says. “But I think there’s more? Rheumatoid arthritis is actually really easy to spot, apparently.”</p><p>“Good for xir,” Gerry says. He doesn’t sound jealous, but he does sound tired.</p><p>“If you don’t come out of your appointment with at least a referral, I’ll fight a doctor for you,” Kira promises. “With my <em> fists.” </em></p><p>Gerry laughs.</p><p>“I’ll hold you to that,” he says. “Have fun cleaning.”</p><p>“I’ll do my best,” Kira says. They wouldn’t consider cleaning <em>fun. </em> </p><p>Gerry snorts at that and heads back to his room. Kira picks their paper towels back up and starts singing a different song.</p><p>“Don’t know how to live, but I’m sick of learning how to di-i-ie,” Kira hums. “Vampirism is for posers in junior high.”</p><p> </p><p>Kira’s cousin gets married in the spring. </p><p>Gerry goes with them, but disappears soon after they get to town with the excuse of having some prior engagement. He comes back smelling of smoke with a cut on his cheek. When he does, Mae wordlessly sticks a Hello Kitty bandaid on him, but otherwise, none of them bat an eye. He doesn’t smell like cigarettes or anything like that, so Kira figures it’s not their place to ask.</p><p>“Ready to meet my family?” Kira asks.</p><p>“Still can’t believe your cousin’s fine with me coming along,” Gerry says.</p><p>“They know what I’m like,” Kira says. Gerry snorts.</p><p> </p><p>When they arrive at the wedding, Kira sees, like, three people do a double-take when they see Gerry. It’s a bit obvious that Kira’s family is surprised to see someone as tall and goyishe, but then see Kira standing next to him and just nod, as if that explained everything. Because of course if anyone was going to bring someone so weird to any family gathering, it’d be Kira. What could they say? They were known.</p><p>It does get a bit more embarrassing when Kira’s parents meet Gerry, though. They thank him for paying Kira’s bills and it’s awkward, because Kira knows they feel bad that they couldn’t pay it, and Gerry doesn’t want to make a big deal about it, because it’s fine, really, he had the money, and he was just grateful they’d been willing to room with a complete stranger. Kira’s dad says he’s glad they could help each other. It feels weird to have all their time together described so simply.</p><p>Other than that, though, it’s a nice night. Gerry doesn’t know anyone there, but stops caring once he gets into a surprisingly animated conversation about paintings with Kira’s aunt.</p><p>“You know,” Gerry says, once he makes his way back to Kira. “I’m kind of surprised you never looked me up.”</p><p>“What brought this on?” Kira asks with a laugh. “And how do you know I haven’t?”</p><p>“You would have said something,” Gerry says, a little bitter. “Definitely wouldn’t have brought me here, either.”</p><p>Kira’s not sure what to do with that. Truth was, they’d never looked up Gerry because at first, it would ruin the mystery. The truth had never really mattered when they’d been having so much fun speculating. Then they had been too worried about what they might find. Now, it just felt rude.</p><p>“Someone out there spreading lies about you on the internet?” Kira jokes. “Don’t worry, I don’t believe everything I see online.”</p><p>It takes a few seconds before Gerry laughs at that. Kira nudges him.</p><p>“If there’s something you think I need to know, you can tell me,” they say. “Otherwise, I don’t care.”</p><p>“You’re getting very good at avoiding asking questions,” Gerry notes. He says it like it should mean something. It doesn’t. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m sure parents will be really disappointed in me,” Kira says. “Questioning everything’s, like, the first thing you learn about being Jewish. But that doesn’t mean I have to know everything. If you don’t want me to ask, why would I want to pry? Everyone’s got stuff they don’t want to share. I mean, I still haven’t told Mae about being—well, you know.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Gerry says.</p><p>“Yeah,” Kira says. “So you’re the only one who really knows that happened. I mean, my parents were there, and they made me go to therapy about it. And Basil kind of knows, but none of them really get it. But you do.”</p><p>“I do,” Gerry agrees. He smiles. “Sometimes I think it’s all I understand.”</p><p>This was getting too serious. Kira doesn’t want to talk about trauma now, and they didn’t think Gerry did, either. They were at a wedding. They should be having <em> fun. </em> Kira nudges him again.</p><p>“Dance with me later,” they say. “You’re the only one here with balance worse than mine. I need that kind of boost in confidence.”</p><p>“So rude!” Gerry snorts. “You really going to speak that way to a cancer survivor?”</p><p>“Isn’t that what you’re doing?” Kira shoots back. He laughs.</p><p>Anyways, it’s a nice wedding. Kira tears up a little at the vows, and then they dance with Mae, Basil, and Gerry, in that order. Before they know it, they’re walking back to their hotel, enjoying the cool night air. Kira knows Mae’s not cold, but they offer their jacket anyways, then immediately beg for it back once they feel the breeze. Mae rolls her eyes, unsurprised and amused.</p><p>“It’s the thought that counts,” Mae tells Kira.</p><p>“The action would have counted more,” they reply, sulking. Mae laughs and pats them on the shoulder. Kira takes her hand. Their’s now.</p><p>“Hey,” Gerry says suddenly. “You want to see something cool?”</p><p>
  <span>“Always,” Kira says. Gerry shifts his cane to the crook of his arm and pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket. “Wait, are you seriously smoking?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gerry puts a finger to his lips, mouth curling into a smile. He pulls out a lighter and touches the flame to the end of one of his cigarettes. Instead of smoke, Kira sees light, and it smells like love. The embers that come out sparkle like stars as they slowly float up into the sky. Kira watches as they form a new constellation in the form of a spiral.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah,” Basil breathes. “How’d you do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t me,” Gerry grins, face aglow with stars. “Just means there’s something out there that cares about me getting lung cancer just as much as you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are stars getting caught in his hair, and it makes Gerry look like a galaxy. Kira can see the reflections of them in his eyes, small flecks of brilliant gold surrounded by pools of silver. It’s strange and beautiful and it doesn’t end. Basil tries to catch a star in xir hands, but it slips through. Somehow, Kira’s not surprised. Some things just aren’t meant to be touched by humans after all, no matter how close to Gerry they stay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This isn’t a miracle. Gerry had said that there was a price to power, but they’re not sure if it matters. This may not be a miracle, but it is a gift, and Kira thinks they’ll remember the brightness of this night for as long as they live. It feels safe. It feels </span>
  <em>
    <span>good.</span>
  </em>
  <span> It feels like a reminder of a promise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because Kira can’t believe the world is anything but good if Gerry Delano and all of his magic exist within it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>and that's it! time for me to actually write something from Gerry's perspective now. i am going back on my gerrytim bs. anyways, thank you everyone for your nice comments! I'm glad that Kira and Basil are so well loved.<br/>The sing Kira's singing before Gerry interrupts them is "Day Gaunts" by Days 'N Daze. I just think it's a fun line!<br/>Also, fun fact about the Heinz center! I went there, and had to walk at least a good mile to get there because of construction or something. And then I walked five floors. Gerry should be really glad he has a friend with magic doors because otherwise it probably would have been a lot less fun. Still a very cool place, though. It used to be an icecube warehouse! these are not the facts you read my fic for, but i hope you appreciate them anyways. i love you all. thank you for reading</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have been in Pittsburgh for a total of three days, and in that time, I spotted a very cool watermelon sunhat at a thrift store which I did not buy because I was worried I wouldn't wear it. I still think about that hat. Point is, there is never any reason not to give in to your own whims. Even if that's writing a story that's almost completely disconnected from canon. I just think Gerry deserves to have friends.<br/>Find me on Tumblr @ofdreamsanddoodles</p></blockquote></div></div>
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